Years after the initial sparks fly – how we can keep the romance alive in our marriages? We hear tips from bestselling author Rick Johnson, who explains more as we unpack his latest book

We learn about communicating effectively with our spouse and recapturing the feelings of young love on this latest Connecting Faith. 

Statistics are showing us that men in particular are increasingly less likely to marry, and our culture continues to talk copiously about the negative side of marriage while seeming to neglect the positive aspects. In this climate, Rick says we need to be all the more intentional about keeping our marriage relationship alive.

To address the health of our marriage, we need to understand why the concept of intimacy is so central. All of us have a deep longing to be known and understood. While our culture often equates intimacy with sex – Rick says it really goes beyond that.

So how can we bring the romance back? Rick shares five romantic needs that women have:

• A need to feel spiritually ministered to.

•  A need to feel safe and secure.

• A need to share intimate conversation.

• A need to receive a tender touch and gentle words.

• A need to be pursued and set apart.

Rick has also come to believe that the ability to have a healthy argument can be key in this process of rebuilding romance. He offers an acronym of items that indicate that now is not the time to argue: SHALT

Sick
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

Quite candidly, if you are any of these things when you launch into an argument, it is likely to proceed poorly. Rick encourages us to pick our battles wisely and not be ready to argue over anything and everything.

Highlight: Intimacy

Keeping the romance alive